Good Bye Stranger
by Bubbles3
Summary: Regular cast included, set after S5, sometime in the future.


Part 1

-Rating: PG  
-Distribution: Just let me know  
-Disclaimer: All characters and the Sunnydale universe belong to Joss.  
-Spoilers: Set after S5, but none really.  
-Feedback: Yes Please!  
-Dedication/Summary: Post S5, a couple of months in the future, and that's all I'm gonna give away.

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Snap Shots

"Mm dum dum de dum, dum dum de dum……" the once vengeance demon stopped short of her cheery humming and giggled to herself. She looked around the apartment one last time before locking the front door and making her way to work. For once she had something to look forward to, instead of feeling afraid and uncertain. 

Don't get me wrong, she still had things to worry about like money and, a-a-and soft furnishings among other things…. But for once in all her human years she felt positive and loved. Loved by the man that was everything to her. 

With a slight spring in her step, she practically skipped all the way to the Magic Box.

Buffy stared up at the ceiling, contemplating whether to get up, or not to get up at all. She had missed the comfort of her bed. In fact she just missed comfort. She wriggled her body deeper into the bed as if trying to get lost in amongst the covers.

If she closed her eyes she could pretend and dream that everything was different. That she didn't feel so empty.

Her eyes drifted over to her bedroom window. 

"The perfect world outside my window!!, **_ha bloody ha!_**" She quickly turned over and pulled the quilt over her head. All the anger inside her made her want to scream. 

But the only release her body gave her was that of a few tears to roll down her face.

"Okay get a grip Buf, another day another..? WHATEVER!" With that the quilt was thrown back violently has she forced herself up of the bed.

"Just get on with it." She told herself, "this is what people do everyday, they get up and get on with it, get on with living."

As he poured the last bit of tea form the pot he was unaware of the fact that he had totally missed the china cup until the scalding hot water hit his right knee.

"**OOWW!** Oh Bloody Hell. Just bloody great!" As quickly has he could he was pulling off his now soaked pants, while trying to soak up the reset of the water with the tea towel.

Giles look at the wall clock and realised he was running late. They were meant to be receiving a new delivery of books on ancient tales and legends (which by all accounts weren't tales or legends, but in fact were very true and real to life) this morning.

"Time, there is never enough time." He muttered to himself. All he had clean was an old pair of faded blue rinse jeans. With out realising the terrible fashion mistake he was making he threw on the jeans picked up his glasses and left. 

"The blue one, or the, the red one? No the yellow one, no wait the blue one." Willow was standing in front of the mirror. She was playing the 'What colour top shall I wear today?' game. This didn't normally happen, but today was different. Today was the first day Buffy was going back to collage. Not that Buffy would or wouldn't care what top Willow was wearing; it was just that well she needed to feel prepared, set, geared up or something. Like knowing that all your number 2 pencils where readily sharpened for a test.

Anxiety swept over her again. "Got to be strong for Buffy, be there for her, everything's gonna be ok" She shook her head and looked down at her feet. "No!" She said, "Everything **_is_** OKAY! Remember positive thinking is the way forward!" With that the indecisive witch clenched her fists and looked back into the mirror, as her top continued to change colour.

'Okay, new book bag…check. New jacket….check. Confident my sisters back from the dead smile and yes I'm a perfectly normal teenager smile…check. Right, school ready or not here I come!' The troubled teenager was standing in the hallway, and was making mental notes in her head in preparation for a new school day.

I actual fact it was a Wednesday, the worst day. Double math, double science and then French class. Much like her older sister, Dawn had problems mastering her language skills. 

At least she got to sit next to Jared in math; yep that would really help her concentration.

Life for Dawn was just, well beginning to be okay again.

"Morning Harris" For one good reason or another his boss sounded more chipper than usual. "Morning to you to Sir" He hoped his reply didn't sound to keen and looked back down at the power tools in front of him.

The work was, was actually a lot of work, but it didn't need much brainpower, more manpower. Now that he did have.

'Hey I have a good brain!' Xander mentally kicked himself, 'and good nice strong hands too' He couldn't help but smile at that thought, as it was one of the many compliments Anya had given him during their religious love making this morning.

He looked at his watch. Lunch wasn't too far away and luckily the Magic Box was only on the next block. 'Flowers' he thought, 'I'll buy her some flowers' 

She was his everything.

The shy witch sat back in her chair trying not to attract the attention of her professor. It was her first class of the morning but she just couldn't concentrate. She looked at the wall clock, "five more minutes to go" she muttered to herself, thwacking her pen repeatedly on her note pad.

Her lover had been restless this morning almost uneasy but at the same time, overly excited at the thought of Buffy starting collage again. She would be meeting up with them as soon as this class was over. Tara looked at the wall clock again, even though only a couple of seconds had passed she felt like she had been sitting there for an eternity.

She decided to chew on her bottom lip until the lecture was over.

The vampire reached up and rubbed his eyes. He new it was light outside, so he should have been asleep but he didn't care. He hated sleep. Sleep made him happy, made him dream. "Dreams are for ninnies!" he shouted into the cool air. 

Spike was sprawled out in the only comfy, well in the only chair he had. Even though he was inside he could smell them all outside, busily getting alone with the pleasantries of everyday life. He almost hated them for it. The chance he had to experience the life of the living was gone. It had expired long ago. He was doomed to never walk with them, to never touch them, to never be with HER.

"NO, I WILL NOT SLEEP!..I... I will not sleep, no, no…sleeee" His eyes had grown heavy again and sleep had won.

It was autumn almost but for some reason the air around her was almost sticky. She was moving as fast as she could, but the heavy atmosphere was making her tired. She needed reset. With all the strength she could find she changed. 

The journey was taking to long and time was irritating her, like the sound of chalk squeaking against a blackboard. The answer to all her problems was laying just on the horizon. She could feel it, the emotion taking her over.

She was galloping now, racing against time, running with the night, playing with the stars.

Fate was calling her and she couldn't escape the hold it had over her.


End file.
